The Kharijite

The Kharijite were once a group that supported Ali who were from the Tamim tribe. They were ready to support him in his battle with Mu awiyah who wanted to avenge Uthman’s death. They became upset when Ali agreed to negotiate with Mu awiyah instead of go to war with him. They were even further angered when Ali and Mu awiyah agreed to bring in a third party to help with the negotiations because they could end up selecting a new caliphate. They strongly believed that only God could decide the fate of the battle. Their fuel for this support was from a passage in the Qur’an that states if two parties of the same fate should fight because one is rebelling against the other, than they should fight against them until they are brought back under God’s will. In their eyes, Ali was the rightful successor, and by allowing Mu awiyah to walk away they felt Ali was not doing God’s will, and that in itself was a sin. And in the Kharijites beliefs, if you sin, you can not rule. One of their main beliefs were anyone could be a leader among the community and they did not have to be of the Quraysh let alone Arab. The only requirements they had were you had to be a Muslim and pious. It was a Kharijite that wound up assassinating Ali, but they also made trouble for future Caliphs as well due to their extreme beliefs. The Kharijite are very fanatical, and they take the Qur’an literally. Over time they spread out and formed different groups. The most extreme group was called the Azariqah and they came from Basra. Another well known group are called the Ibadiyah, and they reside in Oman, North Africa, and Zanzibar and are the only sect to survive to this day.